With the horrifying images of the Mumbai terrorist attacks still fresh in everyone's minds, a bipartisan congressional task force couldn't have chosen a better - or worse - time to inform the American public that the odds are on terrorists using a weapon of mass destruction within the next five years. And the world's biggest danger spot, according to the report?

Pakistan.

The 132-page report was compiled over six months by the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism. The direly named commission was formed at the behest of the 9/11 Commission; it conducted an assessment of both "loose" weapons of mass destruction and the U.S. attempts to counter them. The news is not comforting.

For starters, the United States isn't focusing enough on the biggest threat - a terrorist attack involving biological weapons. Consider this sentence from the report:

"The commission further believes that terrorists are more likely to be able to obtain and use a biological weapon than a nuclear weapon... to date, the U.S. government has invested the largest portion of its nonproliferation efforts and diplomatic capital in preventing nuclear terrorism."

Not only have we been focusing on the wrong things, but even our focus has been off. The report notes that we've been fixated on "defense, intelligence, and homeland security programs and operations" when we need to use "the tools of "soft power" to build trust and to convince vulnerable individuals that the global economic system holds benefits for them.

The authors single out Pakistan as a particular concern because of the country's weak government, history of instability, terrorist networks, and arsenal of nuclear warheads and other destructive weaponry. It's the kind of country that represents a direct challenge to today's international nuclear non-proliferation treaties, and it presents a clear sign that these treaties need to be revisited and revamped for our current challenges.

Of even greater concern, the report adds, is the pitiful state of global biological weapons treaties - and the general complacency within the life sciences community about the need for security. Unlike nuclear physicists, for instance, biotechnicians may not understand the importance of securing their formulas and other secrets. This is the type of cultural shift that must occur within this country for our own safety.

Despite all the gloom and doom, the report authors still believe that tragedy is "preventable" with the right mix of smart diplomacy, stepped-up security measures and coordinated international efforts to deter nuclear smuggling rings. It had better be, and the next president had better take steps to make sure of it.